Top 20 sequels that worked.
Most sequels are made just to milk a little more money out of the franchise, but penalise the viewer with a poor viewing. this list details those famous sequels that worked and why. Excludes LotR, Harry Potter and Star Wars as they are all arguably one big story.
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- DirectorJ.B. RogersStarsJason BiggsSeann William ScottShannon ElizabethJim and his friends are now in college, and they decide to meet up at the beach house for some fun.20. - A shame that this worked considering the monstrous amount of sequels it produced. Very few comedies go on to make as funny a movie as the first, but this one did. It's always a good sign when all the original cast resign for another movie showing they all believe in the script. The third cut that down by almost half, enough said.
- DirectorGeorge P. CosmatosStarsSylvester StalloneRichard CrennaCharles NapierRambo returns to the jungles of Vietnam on a mission to infiltrate an enemy base-camp and rescue the American POWs still held captive there.19. - Considering the first movie was meant to be more of a drama, fans were keen to see what the real Rambo had to offer in action. What easily could have been a cheesy insult on the first was made iconic by writers James Cameron and Stallone himself. Some would argue the fact that Stallone has few lines in the movie means it comes across as more bearable, say what you will but he is entertaining. Like American Pie and others in the list it suffered from its third installment be it all not that much, but something about third time lucky is missing from alot of these films.
- DirectorPaul GreengrassStarsMatt DamonFranka PotenteJoan AllenWhen Jason Bourne is framed for a CIA operation gone awry, he is forced to resume his former life as a trained assassin to survive.18. - There was always a hint of a sequel but whether that means it will be successful or not is another thing. The Bourne series was clever to build on the story it had started in the first movie which is what a good sequel should do and also had a strong film to follow it. Matt Damon does more than just show up to the role, he makes his character more interesting to watch, which i guess is why we're watching.
- DirectorTony ScottStarsEddie MurphyJudge ReinholdJürgen ProchnowAxel Foley returns to Beverly Hills to help Taggart and Rosewood investigate Chief Bogomil's near-fatal shooting and the series of "alphabet crimes" associated with it.17. - The best thing about the first story was that it was never deep in detail, meaning the sequel could really branch anywhere. It was a matter of finding out what people liked about it and its two sequels were at opposite ends of the spectrum. While 3 capitaised on Axel being an action hero, the 2nd was more humourous which most would say was what made it great, the practical joker that Axel was amidst the serious cops. 3 had laughs far and few between, to this day 2 still cracks me up.
- DirectorPeter SegalStarsLeslie NielsenPriscilla PresleyGeorge KennedyFrank Drebin comes out of retirement to help Police Squad infiltrate a gang of terrorists planning to detonate a bomb at the Academy Awards.16. - The challenge here was to see if this kind of comedy could carry out a third film and the comedy genius Leslie Nielsen was delivered. Never was there more laugh out loud moments growing up than this movie genre that never let slip its great core of comedy. The simple trick was just consistency.
- DirectorWes CravenStarsNeve CampbellCourteney CoxDavid ArquetteTwo years after the first series of murders, as Sidney acclimates to college life, someone donning the Ghostface costume begins a new string of killings.15. - Representing the horror genre was Scream, a genre that lets fly so many sequels, be it Halloween, Elm Street, etc. Scream was clever enough to be different making each sequel a play on the last. Scream 2 was about a movie being made about the horrors we saw in scream 1. The cast reamins the same, even now in the upcoming Scream 4 capitalising on the same formula. Its hard to watch in parts but still entertaining.
- DirectorIvan ReitmanStarsBill MurrayDan AykroydSigourney WeaverThe discovery of a massive river of ectoplasm and a resurgence of spectral activity allows the staff of Ghostbusters to revive the business.14. - You would be forgiven for thinking there was little hope in a sequel here and that it was all about milking more money, but the comedy stylings of Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Rick Moranis to name a few bring their A Game and do what a sequel is supposed to, one-up the last one. Bringing back all the cast and giving them more to do was exceptional, if one thing was going to beat a marshmallow man walking down the main streets, it was a Statue of Liberty. Let Ghostbusters 3 live up to the same hype.
- DirectorStephen SommersStarsBrendan FraserRachel WeiszJohn HannahThe mummified body of Imhotep is shipped to a museum in London, where he once again wakes and begins his campaign of rage and terror.13. - If you really sat down and had to think of a way for all the original cast to come back and do things differently, if not better, it's a pretty tough job. But in saying that the writers of the Mummy Returns give us an adventure that excels past the first. It revives the villians in a good enough way and still makes the characters charming as they were before. Although this was a franchise that suffered greatly from its third installment with only a number of people in the cast remaining, the second is a kudos to those who are told to make more money from a franchise and can entertain us in the process exceeding the first movie.
- DirectorSylvester StalloneStarsSylvester StalloneTalia ShireBurt YoungRocky struggles in family life after his bout with Apollo Creed, while the embarrassed champ insistently goads him to accept a challenge for a rematch.12. - Personally a favourite of mine, this had the job of returning after the first movie won an oscar. What's more the story always seemed evident, a rematch to the fight we had just witnessed in the closing scenes of the first. But it's the character of Rocky that really drives this movie, his dumbed down way of thinking you really feel sorry for all those who see him as such, and instantly fall in love with Adrian. Again this is a sequel that continues the story and in the end, to this day still gives me a man cry.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsHarrison FordSean ConneryAlison DoodyIn 1938, after his father goes missing while pursuing the Holy Grail, Indiana Jones finds himself up against the Nazis again to stop them from obtaining its powers.11. - This is the third in the trilogy and really went out with a bang. Most sequels aim for a trilogy and the makings of a great trilogy are a fantastic ending. The last crusade did just that with a clever story and an impressive pairing of Harrison Ford and Sean Connery looking for an artifact bigger than the previous two. It could have been a huge disaster, such as the fourth one was, but it became iconic and an all time great action-adventure. Spielberg at his best.
- DirectorAndrew AdamsonKelly AsburyConrad VernonStarsMike MyersEddie MurphyCameron DiazShrek and Fiona travel to the Kingdom of Far Far Away, where Fiona's parents are King and Queen, to celebrate their marriage. When they arrive, they find they are not as welcome as they thought they would be.10. - Only one of two animated movies in the list as quite frankly most sequels for animated movies go straight to DVD, or fair badly. Shrek 2 however had alot to work with and elaborated on the comedy of its funniest characters. With a whole arsenal of fairy tale characters to work with, they do well in casting Puss n Boots, a now favourite among the others. It appeals to kids with plenty of jokes for the adults, its quality film making for a sequel.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsJeff GoldblumJulianne MoorePete PostlethwaiteA research team is sent to the Jurassic Park Site B island to study the dinosaurs there, while an InGen team approaches with another agenda.9. - It was always going to be hard to top an absolute powerhouse movie for its time, luckily however is the story was again written by Michael Crichton and the screenplay adapted, meaning it was never going to be weak. The third failed miserably and perhaps opted out any chance of a fourth, be it the lack of Spielberg, Goldblum or Attenborough, Sam Neill could not save it. But for the time being it is not impossible to capitalise on greatness, and The Lost World delivered an exceptional story. What we felt was missing from the first movie was definitely satisfied here im sure.
- DirectorLee UnkrichStarsTom HanksTim AllenJoan CusackThe toys are mistakenly delivered to a day-care center instead of the attic right before Andy leaves for college, and it's up to Woody to convince the other toys that they weren't abandoned and to return home.8. - 11 years after the second, it looked like this was going to be nothing more than a cash grab. Despite having Tom Hanks and Tim Allen on board people were still weary. Perhaps though it took 11 years to find a story that was going to do the job just perfectly, as the third installment did. Very few sequels made over a decade later succeed in beating the success of the last, but Tom Hanks is lucky that way, and lets face it, kids love these movies, and this was the first of its kind.
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsMichael J. FoxChristopher LloydLea ThompsonAfter visiting 2015, Marty McFly must repeat his visit to 1955 to prevent disastrous changes to 1985...without interfering with his first trip.7. - This was always happening from the closing scene of the first as most assume, but in fact it was not. It originally was a humourous kind of ending to the film that only when it became a smash and looked towards a sequel did they already have the perfect starter. It was one of the first movies of its time to duplicate actors on the screen at once which made it an joyful experience and more importantly does what a sequel is only sometimes lucky to do, entice you to watch the first one again to see if you missed anything. Cleverly everything ties in to what could easily have been a complicated story, brilliant aspiring film making.
- DirectorLen WisemanStarsBruce WillisJustin LongTimothy OlyphantJohn McClane and a young hacker join forces to take down master cyber-terrorist Thomas Gabriel in Washington D.C.6. - This is honourably mentioned for doing another thing that sequels do not often do well, and that is be entertaining as a stand alone movie. Bruce Willis did not want a script that so much relied on the other stories before it, rather one that people could enjoy even if they hadn't watched the first three. Die Hard 4.0 is the result which rewards both those who do not know McClaine and those who do. Some brilliant action sequences and colorful characters make Die Hard 4 a surprise hit, well worth a viewing.
- DirectorSylvester StalloneStarsSylvester StalloneAntonio TarverMilo VentimigliaThirty years after the ring of the first bell, Rocky Balboa comes out of retirement and dons his gloves for his final fight against the reigning heavyweight champ Mason 'The Line' Dixon.5. - Over 15 years later since rocky 5, nobody knew what to expect of this. There was a lot of hopeful people considering the way Rocky 5 left the story in an unsatisfying manner. Stallone surprisingly did the unlikely and gave the final chapter, that most people parallel to the first in quality. Rocky is back at his roots here, the movie continues the story and really without seeing the others can be a little daunting, to the few of those there are. Still it does well in resurrecting the old cast and finally gives a farewell it deserves. Hard to do, but a series like this deserved a good ending and they got one.
- DirectorGore VerbinskiStarsJohnny DeppOrlando BloomKeira KnightleyJack Sparrow races to recover the heart of Davy Jones to avoid enslaving his soul to Jones' service, as other friends and foes seek the heart for their own agenda as well.4. - Everything a sequel should be. No long pause inbetween movies, the same actors, more action with a few twists and turns and special effects why not. Even the crew remained virtually the same and in the end this movie became a box office success and remains today in the box office top 10 of all time. Enough said.
- DirectorJames CameronStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerLinda HamiltonEdward FurlongA cyborg, identical to the one who failed to kill Sarah Connor, must now protect her ten year old son John from an even more advanced and powerful cyborg.3. - Almost 20 years before Avatar hit the screens, James Cameron was impressing us even then. Following the sub-par movie 'The Terminator', James Cameron delivered a sequel with a story that blew us all away and arguably secured Schwarzenegger's Hollywood status. Taglines aplenty in this story, the special effects were groundbreaking compared to the first, the acting more versatile and a soundtrack that rocked. Terminator 2 is an outstanding sequel in that it walks all over the first movie, Cameron knows what people like.
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsChristian BaleHeath LedgerAaron EckhartWhen the menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, Batman must accept one of the greatest psychological and physical tests of his ability to fight injustice.2. - Superhero movies are complicated in that they derive from comic books and there is a whole list of villains to choose from. The earlier Batman movies suffered from trying to put too many in, and they would often overshadow the main star himself. The focus of the Dark Knight is Batman himself, but the real star is the villian who is subtley played. This was no luck however as Chris Nolan who wrote and directed the first always intended not to overshadow his first movie with the Joker, allowing him to set up Batman's character. Though Batman's story continues progressively well, it's in the Dark Knight that the Joker is really the forefront of people's attention, sitting at third biggest box office movie of all time says alot. Some argue the first movie is just one long prelude to this main story, we'l have to wait for the third one to really make an opinion. Cinematic masterpiece.
- DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsAl PacinoRobert De NiroRobert DuvallThe early life and career of Vito Corleone in 1920s New York City is portrayed, while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on the family crime syndicate.1. - The only sequel bar 'Return of the King' to win a best picture oscar. Considering the first movie itself won best picture, Godfather 2 had a lot to live up to, and it delivered. To it's benefit though the 'sequel' wasn't all the rage back then, very few of them were made, the godfather 2 perhaps showed the world you can continue on from the same story and still make it just as great, some memorable sequel movies followed soon after like Star Wars and Rocky. Now in a time when prequel's are creeping in, The godfather 2 managed to fit one of them in it's storyline also and still managed to do it justice. Alot of people say they don't get the hype of the sequel, but in 1974 it was quality cinema, today we have bigger standards sure, but this will be a hard winner to ever topple.